China hydropower company plans first downstream dam on Brahmaputra
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Project marks a brand new section within the exploitation of the river with potential ramifications for India
China’s media reported on Sunday that authorities have given the go-ahead for a Chinese hydropower company to assemble the first downstream dam on the decrease reaches of the Brahmaputra river, or Yarlung Zangbo as it’s identified in Tibet, marking a brand new section in China’s hydropower exploitation of the river with potential ramifications for India.
Also learn: Study on China dams brings the Brahmaputra into focus
A report within the Chinese media mentioned the State-owned hydropower company POWERCHINA had final month signed “a strategic cooperation agreement” with the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) authorities to “implement hydropower exploitation in the downstream of the Yarlung Zangbo River” as a part of the brand new Five-Year Plan (2021-2025).
China in 2015 operationalised its first hydropower challenge at Zangmu in Tibet, whereas three different dams at Dagu, Jiexu and Jiacha are being developed, all on the higher and center reaches of the river. The report mentioned this would be the first time the downstream sections of the river will probably be tapped.
Yan Zhiyong, POWERCHINA’s chairman, advised a convention of the China Society for Hydropower Engineering final week that “there is no parallel in history” and the downstream reaches of the river supplied “a historic opportunity for the Chinese hydropower industry”, the Communist Party-run Global Times newspaper reported.
Also learn: China offers go-ahead for 3 new Brahmaputra dams
The report didn’t point out the situation of POWERCHINA’s deliberate downstream challenge, however quoted Mr. Yan as speaking concerning the specific potential supplied on the “Great Bend” of the Brahmaputra and on the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon in Medog county, the place the river falls spectacularly over a 2,000 metre-drop and turns sharply to circulate throughout the border into Arunachal Pradesh.
He mentioned this 50-km part alone supplied the potential of creating 70 million kWh “which equals more than three Three Gorges power stations”. He mentioned “the 60-million kWh hydropower exploitation at the downstream of the Yarlung Zangbo River could provide 300 billion kWh of clean, renewable and zero-carbon electricity annually” and the challenge “will play a significant role in realising China’s goal of reaching a carbon emissions peak before 2030 and carbon neutrality in 2060”.
“It is a project for national security, including water resources and domestic security,” he was quoted as saying.
It stays unclear whether or not technical feasibility research for the downstream dams will probably be accepted, as POWERCHINA shouldn’t be the first hydropower company to push for formidable dams downstream on the Zangbo.
Also learn: China blocks tributary of Brahmaputra to construct dam
Chinese hydropower teams have lengthy campaigned to faucet the “Great Bend”, however tasks have thus far not taken off over considerations over the technical feasibility within the steep Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon.
India has expressed considerations to China over the 4 dams on the higher and center reaches, although Indian officers have mentioned the dams aren’t prone to impression the amount of the Brahmaputra’s flows in India enormously as a result of they’re solely storing water for energy technology and the Brahmaputra shouldn’t be solely dependent on upstream flows with an estimated 35% of its basin is in India.
A dam on the Great Bend, if accepted, would increase contemporary considerations contemplating its location downstream and simply throughout the border from Arunachal Pradesh.
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